Mists of Pandaria Pre-Patch

Contents

With the release of Patch 5.0.4, a number of features and changes that aren't connected to the continent of Pandaria have been added to World of Warcraft, including major revisions to the talent system and the abilities of every class in the game. We've also added several brand-new features: AoE looting; account-wide mounts, pets, and achievements; cross-realm play in certain zones; and even more!

Meanwhile, Azeroth's faint hope for peace is about to be shaken by a vicious attack -- the new scenario "Theramore's Fall" will be available beginning the week of September 17.

The lost continent of Pandaria is almost visible on the horizon.

New Talent System

The new talent system redefines how you create your character in World of Warcraft, while keeping the core style and feeling of each class and specialization intact. When launching the patch for the first time and hitting 'N' to open your talent pane, you’ll notice a number of changes. The most obvious is a new layout for specializations, which now show the Core Abilities for each class spec. These are the defining skills that can only be used when you have that spec active.

Account-wide mounts, pets, and achievements!

It's finally here, and you’ll be able to enjoy just about every mount and pet you own on any character, and any license, under a single Battle.net account. You can also work on a wide variety of Achievements from multiple characters. Please be aware of the rules and guidelines we’ve just posted for how you can coalesce your account-wide pets and mounts smoothly and safely.

Cross-Realm Zones

We'll be rolling this feature out beginning with a few realms at the launch of 5.0.4, and increasing until all realms are included for the release of Mists of Pandaria. If you’re looking to level a new character up before Mists of Pandaria, this feature will have a noticeable impact on the world around you. Learn more.

Class Changes

Certainly one of the biggest changes coming in 5.0.4 is the new talent system, and with that comes a ton of changes and new spells and abilities, but before we get to that, a number of changes have been made that can impact how you play your class. These range from minor to major, but almost all specs have altered rotations, and a few have been completely redesigned.

AoE looting

Round up a ton of enemies, nuke ‘em, and then pick up all of their loot with a single right click – bag space permitting.

BattleTag support.

If you’ve played Diablo III you’re already well acquainted with BattleTags (and you have one!). If not, you should make one now. A BattleTag is your permanent account-wide nickname on Battle.net, so choose it wisely. BattleTags can do anything RealID can, but anonymously. RealID should be kept for your real-life friends and family, and BattleTag can be used for acquaintances or others you don’t want to reveal you real name to.